3 Different Types Of Stance In Golf & The Correct Stance For Each Club

3 Different Types Of Stance In Golf & The Correct Stance For Each Club

If only golf was the same each time, you went out to play. Imagine being able to stand the same way for each shot, swing the same way, play the same course?

Golf would certainly be quite a bit easier. However, as any golfer will tell you, this is not the reality of golf. Golf is continually changing, and it can be difficult to adjust your game to adapt to the club in your hand and the shot being played.

One thing that every golfer needs to ensure is that they have chosen the proper stance for the shot they are about to hit.

 

3 Different Types Of Stance In Golf – Correct Stance For Each Club

There are three basic stances that every golfer needs to know; they are the driver stance, the iron/hybrid stance, and the wedge stance.

Although you can also have a different stance for putting, the putting stance comes down to more feel and preference than basic fundamentals.

 

Into The Importance Of Golf Stance

One of the things that professional golfers tend to work on the most is their setup and their stance. If your setup and your stance is not good, there is really no reason to even swing the club back.

Without a proper stance, you won’t be able to return the club face to the impact position in a square and accurate manner. The golf stance helps golfers square the clubface and get the most distance and forgiveness out of each shot.

 

What Are The Three Types Of Stance In Golf

The three types of stance in golf are the driver, iron, and wedge stance. They are all similar in some aspects and different in others.

There is nothing revolutionary about the three stances, and many golfers that have been playing for years will automatically adjust their feet and stance without having to think about it.

If, however, you are new to the game and you are ready to learn what is required to reach the most success, we have the answers you need.

 

Do You Need Different Stances For Each Club?

Before we go into the specifics of these different golf stances, many players wonder whether or not this is really necessary for golfers.

 

Do You Really Need To Change Your Stance With Each Shot?

The answer is that when you are going from hitting something like a driver to hitting a wedge shot, you need to change your stance.

If, however, you are hitting a six iron and then you switch to a seven, there won’t be too much of a change in your stance.

 

What Stance Is Best For Driver

The driver stance is going to be the best for a golf driver.

With a driver stance, there are a few key attributes that you must keep in mind.

Here are the basics of the driver’s stance.

• Feet wider shoulder width apart
• Ball opposite left heal
• Left toe (right handed golfer) flared toward the target a little
• Balanced weight

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

When you need to determine the best driver stance for you, you will want to make sure that you don’t get too much wider than shoulder width.

Some players have a tendency to exaggerate how wide their stance needs to be, and this ends up making it very hard to release the golf ball.

Transferring your weight is hard to do when your stance is very wide.

 

Some Common Driver Stance Mistakes And How To Fix

One of the biggest mistakes that golfers make in a driver stance is not properly placing the ball near the left heel.

If you put the golf ball in the middle of your stance, you will struggle to hit the ball on the upswing. When you hit the ball more on the downswing, you won’t get the maximum distance with your driver.

 

What Stance Is Best For Woods

The stance for your woods will likely change based on whether or not you are hitting the woods from the tee or from the fairway.

If you are hitting from the fairway, your stance will likely be a bit more narrow yet still wider than standard.

You will also play the ball off the inside of the left heel. When you are hitting from the tee box with a fairway wood, you will want to hit the ball more on the upswing.

• Feet slightly wider than shoulder width
• Ball towards front of stance

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

With your fairway wood, you are going to notice that it makes sense to play around with ball position based on the loft.

For the three wood, you may have to place the ball placed a little further forward in your stance. The five wood and seven wood can be a bit further back.

 

Some Common Woods Stance Mistakes And How To Fix Them

The most common mistake that golfers make with a fairway wood stance is playing the ball too far back in the stance.

This causes you to hit down and through the ball as opposed to hitting up on the shot and getting the full distance. Fairway woods are very similar to drivers in how they perform, and this should be considered.

 

What Stance Is Best For Hybrid

The hybrid is meant to be played like an iron. Since the hybrid is essentially a replacement for a long iron, you will want to take an iron type golf stance when using your hybrid.

• Shoulder width apart for the feet
• Ball slightly forward of center
• Weight distribution balanced and ready to transfer

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

If you are new to playing with hybrids, you will need to ensure that you have the right mindset about how to properly get the ball up in the air with the most significant launch.

The concept of hitting down and through the ball is certainly going to help.

 

Some Common Hybrid Stance Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Many players try to swing at a hybrid as if it is a fairway wood.

You will want to avoid doing this because it could impact the distance and direction of the shots you hit.

Play the ball slightly forward to center but swing it like an iron to get the best results.

 

What Stance Is Best For Irons

The iron stance is the basic golf stance setup; your feet will be about shoulder width apart, and the ball will mostly be in the middle of the stance.

The iron stance is the one that golfers need to perfect and then use as the baseline for all other golf shots.

• Shoulder width apart
• Ball in the center

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

To ensure the proper golf stance, you are going to need to make sure that you are playing with the proper equipment.

If your golf clubs are too long or too short for you then you will need to adjust your golf stance accordingly. Having the properly fitted clubs allows you to get into the right position.

 

Some Common Irons Stance Mistakes And How To Fix Them

The biggest thing that golfers struggle with is ball position. If your ball position is not accurate, you will have trouble making clean contact.

Even getting the ball a bit too forward or backward can result in a thin or fat shot.

Experimenting with ball position and finding the spot that works best for your golf game is essential. For most players, it is going to be just forward of center.

 

What Stance Is Best For Wedges

The last type of stance is the wedge stance.

This is the narrowest of all the stances, and it should be used on those shorter approach shots to the green with your pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge.

• Feet slightly narrower than shoulder width
• Ball in middle or slightly back of the stance
• Shot needs a descending blow to be most effective

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

One of the best ways to practice the wedge stance is to work on it with shorter shots.

When you can perfect this stance near the green, you can eventually move a bit further from the green and still have the same shot making abilities. The wedge stance tends to be a bit more creative than the iron or driver stance.

You have to find something that allows you to be comfortable with the golf stance.

The short game and wedge shots are so much about feel that you must work on finding something that fits the needs of your game more than just what is considered to be technically correct.

 

Some Common Wedges Stance Mistakes And How To Fix Them

The biggest mistake that golfers make with their wedge stance is that they tend to play the ball too far back in the stance.

This ball position placed further back ends up causing the golfer to hit the ball a bit too soon, and it creates some pretty bad miss hits.

The best thing a golfer can do to avoid this is to narrow the stance and play the ball more in the middle. Middle of the stance with narrow feet is a smarter way to play wedge shots.

 

What Stance Is Best For Putters

There is really no one way to stand when putting.

You may find that putting with your feet together helps you the most.

Other golfers can feel as though turning their toes inwards helps them be more efficient with their stance.

Turning toes inwards tends to lock in your lower body so that you are less likely to move around and cause your body and putts to sway.

 

How To Ensure The Right Stance For You

The best way to know what putting stance is for you is to try out a few different kinds.

It is best to try these on the putting green where the match is not on the line. Try ten balls with one stance, ten with another, and ten with a third.

See how many putts you make and try and keep all other factors consistent. This is the best way to learn the best stance for your putting.

 

Some Common Putter Stance Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Golfers tend to change their putting stroke and stance quite often. If they find something is not working, they change for the next hole.

In the end, this ends up causing a bit too much change and not enough of a constant. More than any other area of the game, putting is about confidence.

If you are not confident about your putting stroke, you are going to struggle with the results that you get. Try to pick a stance and a stroke and stick with it.

 

Is It Best To Get Lessons To Correct Your Swing?

Golf lessons can be a great way to learn to correct your golf swing.

If you are struggling and don’t what issues are causing the trouble, a golf professional can help you figure things out.

Golf lessons don’t need to be taken every week, but from time to time, they make quite a bit of sense to do.

 

Conclusion

Hopefully, you feel as though you are now ready to get your stance to where it needs to be for the season. The proper golf stance is essential if you plan on shooting low scores and becoming a consistent player.

If you don’t take the time to learn how to stand correctly, you will continually struggle to make consistent contact. Although the golf stance is not nearly as fun to practice as other aspects of the game, it can certainly help you improve and start to enjoy golf even more.

Remember that all golfers are a bit different and will have varying strengths and weaknesses. Take our information, test it out and find a fit that works well for you.